Phalaborwa leading in technology education

2006-06-30

A technology class South Africa is a developing nation. We are soon looking forward to becoming a developed nation. Technology Education is instrumental in achieving the developed-nation status. In their quest for improving productivity growth, most countries in Latin America have placed their hopes in an expanding role of technology, the Internet, and the new economy. Every Latin American leader wants to follow Chilean president Ricardo Lagos’s steps and visit Silicon Valley and its star executives Bill Gates, Carly Fiorina, and Larry Ellison. South Africa is also moving in the right direction. We have introduced Technology Education up to Grade 9.

The Palabora Foundation has gone a step further to enhance technology education. The Foundation, through its PROTEC programme which is sponsored by Foskor, Sasol Nitro and other companies in Phalaborwa town, is providing Technology as an additional subject to the high school students. The PROTEC programme has been running in Phalaborwa since 1998 and over 200 students are currently doing their tertiary studies at various Universities and Technikons around the country in engineering, technology and medical fields with attractive bursaries from mining companies. Some of the bursars have completed their studies and are already working for the sponsoring companies. A current underground mining engineer at the Palabora Mining Company, Mr Fredrick Ntsenana, is a product of the PROTEC programme. Miss Siphiwe Ngobeni who is IS & T Computer Technician at Palabora Mining Company is also an excellent contribution by the PROTEC programme. Many others who have gone through the PROTEC programme are working for Foskor, Sasol, Anglo American, Anglo Platinum, De Beers, Eskom, PBMR (Pebble bed modular reactor) and others.

In the accompanying photograph, the technology tutor Ms Karen Mills is providing a lesson on communication technology to the current PROTEC Grade 11 students during the June/July winter holidays.

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